Thursday, 12 December 2013

Whilst hubby and I were on our 5 week holiday in USA and Canada, I was honoured to be invited by Leo Cho the manager and chef of The Gaya Applecross to blog about his restaurant and fortunately for me, Chef Leo was kind enough to extend his offer to when we return from holidays and also allowed me to bring a guest (yes my hubby tagged along as usual). My apologies for the delay in writing this blog post but I've only just settled back into my normal routine and gotten over my post-holiday depression. USA and Canada are now just awesome but distant memories...now, let's get back on track.

Tuesday, 29 October 2013

I did not want to wake up at 8am this morning but I had booked our Alcatraz tour for 10am so did not have much choice. We had planned to walk from our hotel to the pier (approximately 40min walk) but ended up taking the taxi as I put the alarm on snooze. Whoops.

Monday, 28 October 2013

Hellooo San Francisco! Today is our first day and first time in USA, we arrived into San Francisco late last night and thanks to a super comfortable flight (we were able to lie down and sleep) and a great night sleep at the hotel, neither of us were jet lagged and we were ready to explore the city of San Francisco at 9:30am.

Friday, 11 October 2013

RW who shares an office with MD and I decided to leave us and we thought that was a good excuse to organise an outing after work. So I got busy sending out emails to the rest of the team as we brainstormed venues and RW came up with Bar de Halcyon, a newcomer to Wolf Lane.I tried to book a table as there were about 10 of us but was told that they don't take bookings and that we shouldn't have a problem getting a table after work on a Thursday. When we arrived at about 5pm it was still relatively empty downstairs but it was more than half full upstairs and lucky enough we were able to secure a table upstairs to fit 10 people.

Thursday, 26 September 2013

Tonight was our last chance to catch up before we all go off on holidays. JL and her hubby are off to Japan, ML and Jae (he is also a JL so to reduce confusion I'm going to refer to him as Jae) are off to Europe and hubby and I are off to the states so we won't see each other until December. JL and I wanted to try Ace Pizzas so we decided to go there for our catch up dinner but we weren't able to secure a table until 8pm.

Sunday, 22 September 2013

My second breakfast today was with MK, SS, RC and PL at the Hangout Bar N Cafe. It's located on the commercial strip of Preston St in Como and it was not only easy to find the cafe, it was easy to find parking. Yay!

I was the last one to arrive so I weaved my way in without the waitstaff noticing. It took a while to make up our mind and also a while to get a wait staff to take our order.

Sunday, 15 September 2013

Tonight was my monthly catch up dinner with DT. I chose L'Enoteca for our catch up dinner because I've been wanting to go for a while and the reviews on Urbanspoon were mostly positive.I managed to book a table for the two of us on a Saturday night and was given the option of 5:30pm or 8:30pm; I chose 5:30pm and was informed that we had to vacate the table at 7:30pm, which was fine. I prefer that they tell me at the time of booking rather than when I arrive at the restaurant (which has occurred before at other places!).

Saturday, 14 September 2013

After hubby picked me up from my Friday night drinks with my workmates, we decided to head down to Apple Daily Bar & Eating House. I've actually not been to Apple Daily before but have heard good things about it and wanted to go there for a taste test. As you can't book, we thought we'll try our luck, and at 6:30pm we thought the chances of getting a table was quite high. As usual on a Friday night there was a line to get into Print Hall but I was pretty sure we didn't need to line up to get into Apple Daily so asked one of the security guys and he directed us to the entrance on the left hand side. We walked up the stairs and as there wasn't any clear signage I just kept walking up the stairs and ended up at Bob's Bar, whoops, but was directed back down one level to Apple Daily by a friendly staff member.

Thursday, 12 September 2013

I had my first imitation Cronut™ today and to be honest it was unexciting. The icing was too sweet, it was a bit oily and quite heavy. I had it cold, well room temperature, but I presume like its parents the croissant and donut it would've been better warm. Special thanks to my brother who decided he wanted to try this croissant-donut hybrid when we drove past Lawley's Bakery in Mount Lawley and jumped out of the car to get us one each. At $3 each, it was worth it for the novelty but I won't be having another one.

Saturday, 7 September 2013

It's been a bit hectic at work lately and all I wanted to do this Friday night was go for a walk around the city, eat, go home and lounge around; I did exactly just that. Hubby and I walked around the city after work and we decided to eat something quick and simple before we head home to do not much. We walked aimlessly up William Street, saw Cori Anna Korean Restaurant across the road and decided to go in. I felt like kimchi soup.

The restaurant is your typical dingy Asian restaurant. Bad lighting and décor, sticky floors and tables, what more can you ask for? We were greeted by a friendly waiter who took us to our seats and gave us some menus. I already knew what I wanted!

Wednesday, 4 September 2013

Guzman y Gomez (GYG) is one of the many Mexican food places that has opened in Perth in the last year or two. I've been meaning to check it out since it first opened but honestly I'm not a huge fan of Mexican fast food so it took a long time before I walked through the door. Tonight presented a perfect opportunity to go because hubby and I were in Northbridge and needed to eat something quickly before our appointment. At 5:30pm, there were few customers but that didn't matter because it meant I can take photos without worrying about disturbing other patrons and that our food should come out relatively quickly (well, it is fast food after all).

Sunday, 1 September 2013

It's been a while since I last reviewed a restaurant listed in the Entertainment Book so this Saturday date night took us to E Cucina Wine Bar and Restaurant which is listed in the fine and contemporary dining section of the Entertainment Book. Hubby rang E Cucina at 6:45pm to book a table for 7:30pm (yes, a bit last minute) and luckily, we were able to get a table. It was quite a chilly night and the streets were quite bare and so was E Cucina when we arrived. We were attended to quickly and were asked to choose where we wanted to sit.

Sunday, 18 August 2013

This Saturday date night we ended up at Red Basil. Hubby and I have tried to walk in a few weeks ago but they were so busy we couldn't get a table so this time I rang up at 5:30pm hoping to get a table at 6:30pm. I was told by the waitress on the phone that because 7pm gets really busy that it'll be best for us to get there at 6pm.We arrived at 6pm on the dot and they were already pretty busy. It's a fairly small restaurant, it probably only fits around 20 to 25 people. We were seated relatively quickly and given a couple of menus by one of the waitresses who was buzzing around the restaurant.

Today I took my mum out for lunch at Greenhouse before we do some shopping in the city. I've been to Greenhouse a few times before and the food has been quite good, although the service a bit inconsistent. I thought it'll be nice to take mum to eat something other than Asian food. We arrived at around 11:30am and were quickly shown to a seat at the back of the restaurant, away from the main bar area. The waitress told us the specials, gave us menus and asked if we wanted tap or sparkling water as we sat down - bonus points. Unfortunately when we wanted to order, it took a bit of effort to get someone to take our order. Mum and I decided to order the pizza and pasta special because it sounded pretty good.

Saturday, 10 August 2013

Tonight we say goodbye and good luck to TW as she embarks on her journey of discovery in Europe. Our group is shrinking in size this year, first it was RL and now TW, I wonder who is next...

TW chose Chez Pierre for her farewell dinner as they offer a set menu for $58.50 per person. This is always good for us when we have a big group dinner and also because we are usually indecisive. The set menu is as is so there aren't different options for any of the courses but they do cater for those with dietary requirements or pregnancy. None of us have any dietary requirements but SL who is pregnant was unable to have smoked salmon so they asked her if French onion soup was a suitable replacement (and it was).

Sunday, 28 July 2013

I'm finally embracing social media and am now on Twitter and Instagram. Please follow me by clicking the badges at the bottom of my home page or right now on this page! I have also added my Instagram feed to my blog thanks to SnapWidget. I'm so excited! All I need to do now is to start using all these things. Wish me luck.

High tea on a Saturday morning, what a great way to start the weekend albeit 10am is not the usual time for high tea. It was a pretty dreary Saturday morning actually, as it was grey and rainy but going to Rochelle Adonis Cakes + Confectionary with DT made up for the weather. I haven't been to the Highgate shop before, only the Northbridge one and I remember how snobby the staff were but I have to say she does serve a fantastic high tea. I just hoped that the service would be better this time round but with the same tasty high tea.

Thursday, 25 July 2013

I wasn't going to blog about CoCo's but I was so appalled by their service that I had to have a rant! To be honest I have never rated CoCo's very high, purely based on the fact that they are pretentious at best and the food ain't that great - tonight was no different, the only difference was the level of rudeness.After our ordinary dinner at Ciao Italia, we decided to have dessert elsewhere, so we headed down to CoCo's because it was close by and there wasn't much other choice. When we arrived at the entrance, a man who we thought was the manager looked at us from the inside as we signalled to him from the outside that we have four people. He didn't even have the courtesy to come out and greet us.

My friends told me that I'm probably the only Asian in Perth that hasn't been to Ciao Italia so they decided to take me there for our Wednesday night catch up dinner. In my defence, I don't particularly like going to places where I can't book and I know I have to wait and possibly for a very long time. To reduce waiting time, we decided to turn up straight after work at 5pm as surely we won't have to wait at that time. Wrong! MK and I had to wait because they don't give you a table unless all your guests have arrived. This annoyed me especially since we told them they were no more than 5 minutes away but their response was "We may be full by then." Really? Well, not really because they were still pretty empty 5 minutes later when FH and TW arrived. Nevertheless, I was excited because this long anticipated visit has taken at least 10 years to become a reality.

Sunday, 21 July 2013

I've been wanting to taste test Run Amuk Hotdogs Unleashed since I first heard about it from my workmate RW and today I finally made it there with my hubby. Located outside the main drag, I didn't know about this part of Fremantle as I usually hang around the main strip or the fishing boat harbour, but I'm glad to say we'll be visiting this part more often as I discovered there are quite a few restaurants and cafes around there.

Saturday, 20 July 2013

After our Friday night drinks, a few of us decided to have dinner before we head off to our other Friday night activities, or non-activities in my case. As there wasn't too much choice around the area, we headed down to Pure Bar where I've been a couple of times before for lunch. However, I've never had dinner there before so I didn't know what to expect, but if the quality was as good as lunch, I'd be happy.

Saturday, 13 July 2013

The last time I went to Sake Bar was at least 6 months ago. I've been there a few times before and each time it's a bit hit and miss with both food and service. Tonight I decided to venture back there for my Entertainment Book project and actually write a review.As we approached the entrance to Sake Bar, we were greeted by the maître d' who quickly showed us to a table. At 6:30pm on a Friday night, they were pretty quiet - only a table of 6 girls and another table at the bar occupied by a single man.

Sunday, 7 July 2013

I love a good burger now and then, and tonight was one of those nights. This Saturday date night took us to V Burger which is located in the Vic Park Village which of course, is in Victoria Park. I have only been there a couple of times before and that was quite a long time ago but I was hoping that it was still as good as I remembered.

Saturday, 6 July 2013

Tonight we celebrated LD's last week in Perth before she goes off to Europe and USA for 3 months, how exciting! We decided to try out the new kid on the block, Sushia which is run by three of the ex-Nobu chefs and has only been open for about a month.

Sunday, 30 June 2013

One month after my actual birthday, I'm still celebrating! Today DT and RN took me out for a day of surprises. PS couldn't make it but she also chipped in for my awesome day of surprises. Thanks girls! The day started off with a manicure and pedicure at Foxy Nails (the manicure and pedicure was good but we don't recommend it if you want good service) and then it was high tea at Firewater Grille at Duxton Hotel.

Saturday, 29 June 2013

LT just returned from Taiwan and said she must give me something before it goes off, so we organised dinner together for this Friday night. Of course we can't go out for dinner without her sister SA, the three of us almost always go out together. SA and LT chose Kinky Monkey because it is listed in the Entertainment Book.

Monday, 24 June 2013

Hubby and I haven't had a Saturday date night for ages! Recently, we've had random night date nights and tonight was one of them, Sunday date night. It was so cold and a Sunday night so we decided not to venture too far from home, I had a flick through my Entertainment Book and found Elie's Tent (listed under casual and family dining) for something different. We rarely go to Middle Eastern restaurants which meant we didn't have many expectations.

Sunday, 23 June 2013

Little Willy's is a place I've walked past many, many times but most times I've walked past they were closed, so I just keep walking and have a little immature giggle to myself.Today, I finally made it to Little Willy's because LN, who I haven't caught up with for ages, and I decided to have our catch up date there. Well, I decided to have our catch up date there - LN didn't know about Little Willy's and thought I was joking when I told her the name and also had a giggle...so it's not just me. You can't book so we decided to just rock up at 10:30am and see what happens.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Tonight, hubby, my little sister-in-law and I went to The Bonsai Restaurant and Café Lounge for a quick Wednesday night dinner. We were greeted by the manager as soon as we walked in and was quickly shown to our seats by one of the wait staff. I have been to The Bonsai Restaurant and Cafe Lounge many times before but sister-in-law has not, so I was delegated the job of choosing all the tapas style dishes while hubby and her chose the mains.

Sunday, 9 June 2013

Catch up time with JL, JC, LY and JO tonight and as usual JL chose the restaurant, which conveniently for me, is listed in the Entertainment Book. I actually had no idea this restaurant existed but JL chose it because she knows my hubby loves steak and wanted to try somewhere new.

Tonight we say good bye and good luck to my girlfriend RL who is moving to Melbourne. RL, we're going to miss you heaps but more importantly remember to keep a spare room so we have somewhere to stay when we visit. Anyway, RL chose Blackbird for her farewell dinner because of positive reviews on Urbanspoon and also because she couldn't get a table for a large group elsewhere (we had 15 people). We were told we had to have the set menu at $65 per head because we were a large group. Between the 15 of us, we managed to order everything that was offered on the menu.

Friday, 7 June 2013

Fuku Omakase and Teppanyaki has been on my list of restaurants to try but I had not made my way there yet as I was saving it for a special occasion. However, I ended up checking it out tonight as I was invited to blog about the restaurant. I was exciting because this was a first for me.

Saturday, 1 June 2013

Tonight hubby took me out for dinner at Friends Restaurant for a belated birthday celebration. It also officially marks the start of my Entertainment Book Project, as this is the first review of a restaurant from the 2013/2014 Entertainment Book.We arrived at 6pm and the restaurant was empty which is to be expected, who eats so early? We were attended to immediately and shown to our seats which overlooked Langley Park with the Cirque de Soleil Big Top, and were given menus and asked if we wanted still, sparkling or tap water once we were comfortably seated in our chairs.

Thursday, 30 May 2013

I've decided to start a little project this year and it involves eating. Yes, I'm serious more eating! Most of my friends and colleagues and probably your friends and colleagues buy the Entertainment Book every year, and most of the time you don't know if the restaurants are any good, so this year I'm going to review a restaurant listed in either section A, B or C of the Entertainment Book once a week and compile a list of whether they are worth going at all. I know you get discounts with the Entertainment Book but some restaurants are not worth destroying your taste buds for. So please keep following my blog and feel free to suggest which restaurants you want me to try and/or which restaurants I shouldn't try (please think of my taste buds too). Thank you and wish me luck!

It's taken me a long time but I finally made it to Mr Munchies Sushi to find out what all the fuss is about. I've tried to get in once before but they were full and I was too hungry to wait. This time I thought I'll be organised and book a table but unfortunately they don't take bookings for less than 6 people. Luckily when I arrived a couple of tables had just finished and were on their way out so I scored a table within 5 minutes of arrival.

RW is going to be a dad tomorrow so LD and I decided to take him out for lunch to celebrate the fast approaching new chapter of his life. We decided to check out The Office on Harrogate as we heard from our workmate how amazing their coffee is and how awesome their breakfast looked.If you don't work or live around the area, you definitely won't know about The Office on Harrogate yet because it is tucked away in a quiet pocket of West Leederville. However, I think the locals have all heard about it because when we arrived just after 12:30pm, there was already a long line at the counter with more people rushing in behind us.

Saturday, 25 May 2013

I was going to give Jersey Boys a miss as no one seemed to be interested in going, but thank goodness LT asked me to go because it was such a spectacular show! You don't need to know the story beforehand, but you'll definitely know the story after you watch it. If you like musicals, I recommend you check this one out, but remember, it's only on until 30th June 2013.

First things first, I just want to tell you that there are not many photos in this blog entry because I didn't want to look too uncool at a pub full of people on a Friday evening, so I apologise for this but one needs to keep up one's image, right? Maybe? Anyway...Tonight, LT and I had a date to see Jersey Boys (it was awesome, go see it!) and we wanted to grab something to eat beforehand. We thought we'll try our luck at The Merrywell first before venturing off to the other eateries at the Crown Entertainment Complex. It was packed at The Merrywell, but it was our lucky night because we found a free table! We were not really hungry but we knew if we didn't eat now, we'll be really hungry during the show. The lovely LT wanted to order everything on the menu as usual but we managed to limit that to three dishes only.

Saturday, 18 May 2013

Happy early birthday to me! Tonight is my first and only planned birthday celebration this year as I'm trying to forget how old I am. I chose No 4 Blake St, a restaurant tucked away in the back streets of suburbia because I love trying out new restaurants with my loved ones and I had never been before. I had no idea whether it was good but the reviews from Urbanspoon seemed quite promising.

Friday, 10 May 2013

What's my perfect Friday morning? A nice breakfast at a nice café at a nice location and not having to rush to work afterwards. Well, this perfect Friday morning was a semi reality for me this morning. I know I was going to have a nice breakfast at Toast which overlooks the picturesque canals of East Perth and I didn't have to go to work (I did however have to go to a training course).

Wednesday, 8 May 2013

Happy birthday hubby! Hubby and I have wanted to try Jamie's Italian since it first opened but it's taken a good month and a bit before we made it. Why? I don't like lining up especially when I'm hungry and there seems to be a constant line outside Jamie's Italian. When I found out from my workmate that you can book online, I jumped on straight away and booked a month in advance for hubby's birthday. I think I was more excited about going than hubby, but all the same, we've been looking forward to this for a good month.

Sunday, 5 May 2013

I've wanted to try Bos Taurus since it first opened, located where Caffe Martino used to be, it's a welcome change. Everytime I've walked or driven past Bos Taurus, it lures me to look at this mysterious, dark place and each and everytime I had already been booked elsewhere. So for our Saturday date night, hubby and I decided to waltz in at 7pm, hoping that we would be able to get a table. They were not very busy at that time and we were seated quite quickly.

Friday, 26 April 2013

Today we celebrated FH's last days before tying the knot and the last part of the celebrations was dinner at Cecchi's. Although it is situated on Beaufort St, Cecchi's is easily missed because it blends in with the buildings around it, so you really need to keep an eye out for it. There is ample parking around the area which is a bonus.As we entered the premises, we received a very warm welcome from the owner (we think he is the owner anyway). He shook hands with each one of us and called us beautiful which was nice. Our table overlooked the courtyard which meant we watched the owner greet each and every customer in the same manner for the rest of the evening.The menu at Cecchi's is short and sweet which makes it easy to decide on what to eat, although a bit disappointing if you like variety. We weren't sure of the size of the dishes, but as we were not that hungry we just ordered a main each and sides to share.Cecchi's is BYO and they charge $3.50 per head for corkage which they told us upfront.Our orderMain courseMoi & MK - Squid ink linguine, squid, tomato concasse, chilli, lemon crumb x 2 $66 ($33 each)Hubby, PL & RL - Pork belly, caramelised apples, hazelnut, frizze, vincotto x 3 $108 ($36 each)FH & RC - Duck breast, creamy bacon faro, quince, pistachio x 2 $72 ($36 each)CH - Zuppa di pesce, barramundi, prawn+mussel stew, crusty bread $36TW - Rib eye, vegetable slaw, anchovies, red wine gel, parmesan+onion crumb $42Sides to sharePearl barley+roasted Mediterranean vegetable salad x 2 $18 ($9 each)Broccolini, almonds, slow cooked egg x 2 $20 ($10 each)DessertMoi & RC - Donuts x 2FH - Profiteroles TW, CH, PL, MK & RL - Panna cotta x 5, DonutsNow we wait...Food and presentation - 3.5/5

Amuse bouche - complimentary

We were presented with a complimentary amuse bouche of tomato soup to stimulate our palettes before our mains, it was average and a bit sour for our liking. Our mains were a bit of a hit and miss with the serving size being much smaller than anticipated. The squid linguine was tasteless and the pasta looked and tasted like it's been sitting there for a while; I didn't taste any lemon crumb and only found 2 small pieces of crushed tomato in my linguine. The pork belly was yummy and the skin was nice and crispy. Unfortunately, CH found her fish soup pretty average. The duck breast was tasty but a bit expensive for only two slices, while the rib eye was quite decent in size and was quite nice. The sides were just so and if we didn't have them, we would've still been hungry.

As we were not overly full, we were able to fit in dessert. The waitress rattled off the desserts available as it wasn't on the menu. The standard out dessert were the donuts while the panna cotta on the other hand was very small and wasn't the right texture.

Donuts

Panna cotta

Profiteroles

Service - 3.5/5The owner was very friendly and as previously mentioned, greeted each of us when we entered but as the night progressed we found that he was a bit too in your face. At the beginning he told us about the origin of Pinocchio and asked us why we were here for dinner, which was fine but then it progressed to constant interruptions with "Let's cheer for FH!" If it only happened once, then that would've been fine but it was multiple times and sometimes when we were deep in conversation with each other. Our water was replenished automatically throughout the night which gave them bonus points.One of the waitresses needs some training in customer service and communication, let's just say it's not what you say but how you say it.Atmosphere - 3.5/5The restaurant is actually really nicely decorated, very rustic and charming but the constant interruptions and the drunk Pinocchio on the wall behind us ruined the feel of what could have been a classy Italian restaurant.

Value for money - 2.5/5Definitely not value for money. Quality is not bad but the price for the size of the dishes is really quite steep. $36 for two slices of duck breast? No go!I don't have any objections with coming back for another meal but I'll be exploring other options first.Taste Test Total Score 13/20